West Springfield mayoral hopefuls vie for top spot

WEST SPRINGFIELD - As bad as the revenue picture may get, the city would be better off if it had plans in hand to deal with it, City Councilor-at-large Paul H. Boudo contends in trying to unseat Mayor Edward J. Gibson on Nov. 3.

Gibson, on the other hand, said the city has been doing fine under his nine-year leadership, including financially.

The city budget has been balanced "while maintaining a strong rainy day fund," Gibson said.

Also, said Gibson, more than $3 million has been saved during the past five years by renegotiating employee health insurance.

Boudo, however, contends Gibson should be doing much more to see to the city's financial future.

Among other things, he is calling for beefing up existing businesses and hiring a director of community development to get new occupants into vacant buildings, and putting the brakes on the city's commercial-industrial tax rate.

The tax rate for business property currently stands at $33.85 per thousand dollars of valuation, which is the third highest in the state, he said. The current residential rate is $14.66.

Gibson said the development banner should be carried by those already on board, and not by adding a director position.

Among other revenue-based issues, the idea of the city getting money from the annual Eastern States Exposition, or Big E, was raised during the campaign.

Gibson said that a bid to add $1 per Big E ticket for the city had been killed in committee after it was submitted to the state Legislature in 2003.

"I'd be happy with 50 cents a ticket," he said.

"More than likely," however, it will not come to fruition, Gibson said.

Boudo said that he would like to see an analysis of the impacts of the Big E, then sit down with the operators of the fairgrounds and see if the city can tap into that stream.

In exchange for extending the Big E five days, officials agreed in 1994 to give West Springfield 1 percent of the gross revenues annually. The amount last year was more than $164,000.

Boudo criticized the mayor, saying he used outside contractors for jobs that could be done in-house, including engineering services.

Gibson, however, said that the majority of the contracts are required legally.

Gibson chided Boudo for calling for more involvement of the School Committee in school operations. That is not allowed under education reform, which leaves operations to the superintendent, Gibson said.

Boudo criticized Gibson for a delay in notifying residents when a bacterial problem hit the city water supply.

"I was surprised myself," Gibson said of the delay. He said he intends to take the matter up with the Department of Public Works.

Boudo said Gibson has not been open enough to the public.

"I've had an open door policy for nine years. If the current mayor has one, it's not known," he said.

Gibson said he plans for a new two-year term include establishing a master plan for school facilities, expansion of the library, and repairing the city's river levees.